The 49ers are where the Raiders were three years ago – drastically undermanned, in the midst of unrelenting losing, and with Fort Knox-like money under the salary cap. Obviously, the 10-2 Raiders have made the right moves in hiring coach Jack Del Rio, drafting players like Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, and acquiring players like …

Even iron men need their rest.
Consider the case of 49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith, who has started 171 straight games dating to 2001 but isn’t immune to the rigors of the NFL’s 16-game regular season.
The indefatigable Smith was invisible during … …

Entering the final 15 minutes in St. Louis, San Francisco had allowed 232 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the previous seven quarters. Perspective: The Niners hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown – or more than 194 rushing yards in back-to-back contests – in the season’s first 14 games. …

As it turns out, the solution to the 49ers’ vexing red-zone problems was located on their practice field all season.
Entering the playoffs, it appears the Niners can cross those red-zone issues off their fix-it list, and coach Jim Harbaugh said some of… …

In a year when some NFL teams lost their top three quarterbacks, the 49ers never needed to call on their second-stringer, rookie Colin Kaepernick, for anything more than mop-up duty. Alex Smith led the league in sacks absorbed with 44, yet stayed healt… …

Here’s a look at the San Francisco’s non-division schedule, which includes meetings against every quarterback ranked among the top five in passing yardage in 2011 (Brees, Brady, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, New York’s Eli Manning and Rodgers): …

Greg Roman, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator, is a finalist to be the next head coach at Penn State, a source confirmed Monday.
The news of Penn State’s interest in San Francisco’s first-year assistant was first reported by Tom Dienhart of the Big Ten … …

Just imagine if the 49ers had lost Sunday in St. Louis. They would have returned to work Monday and faced a quick and daunting turnaround, with only five days to prepare for a playoff encounter with the ever-dangerous Lions.
Now that chore falls to Dre… …

Kyle Williams will take the bye week, absolutely.
Williams, who was momentarily knocked unconscious and sustained a concussion Dec. 24 against Seattle, expects to return for the 49ers’ playoff opener Jan. 14. Williams missed Sunday’s game in St. Louis,… …